A Mermaid Among Men
by YoursAlways
Summary: Iwatobi Swim Club gets a new member in the form of Kagome Higurashi, cousin of Haruka Nanase. A fresh start brings a new life, new friends, and maybe even a new love.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club and make no money from these writings.

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A Mermaid Among Men

Chapter One

Splashing water glittered in the afternoon light as the Iwatobi Swim Club practiced in their school's pool. It was the weekend, but they had obtained permission to be on school grounds as long as their club advisor was present as well.

Gou grabbed the silver whistle that hung around her neck and put it to her lips. The whistle was a gift from her brother to help her gain the Iwatobi swimmers' attention while they were in the water. The sharp sound of the whistle pierced the air, and the small gift served it's purpose. All eyes turned to her. "Okay guys," she announced. "It's time to stop for a lunch break!"

Haruka was toweling off his hair when he turned to face his best friend. "Hey Makoto," he said to grab the taller boy's attention. "What time is it?"

Though he was curious as to why it would matter, Makoto picked up his cell phone that had been lying on top of his towel. "Twelve-o-five," he responded. "Why?"

Sighing as he draped his towel around his neck, Haruka told him but announced loud enough for the rest of the club to hear, "I have to skip lunch and the rest of practice. There's something else that I have to do."

The club members all stopped and stared at their Vice-Captain in shock. Haruka Nanase was leaving practice early on a beautiful day with perfect weather? Was he sick? By the time they had snapped out of their stupor, Haruka was already in the locker room getting changed.

"W-wait a second! Haru!" Makoto yelled as he and the other curious club members followed their stoic teammate.

"What do you need to do so badly that you're going to skip practice?" Gou asked with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Having already tugged on a pair of track pants, Haruka pulled a light t-shirt over his head before answering, "I have to pick up my cousin at the train station."

"Your cousin?" Makoto mused aloud as he tried to think back. Then it suddenly hit him and he perked up. "You mean Kagome?"

The other club members looked on in confusion. Since they hadn't known Haruka as long as Makoto, they knew next to nothing about his extended family.

"Yeah," Haruka answered simply as he slipped his feet into his sandals and packed up his swim bag.

Realizing that he was going to have to lead the conversation, Makoto prodded, "I didn't know that she was coming to visit."

"She's not," Haruka told his friend as he patted his pockets to make sure that he hadn't lost his wallet.

"Then why do you need to pick her up at the train station?" Makoto asked now even more confused.

Haruka slung the strap of his bag across his chest and turned to face his friend. It was only then that he realized that the rest of the club was also in the room, eagerly listening. "She's moving in with me," he told them as if he was giving a weather report.

Makoto blinked. Many questions raced through his mind, but the first out of his mouth was, "Why?"

Haruka shrugged casually. "Mom called a couple of weeks ago," he explained. "She'd been talking with Aunt Risa and heard that Kagome was having a hard time at school and at home. They decided it might be good for her to switch schools and come out here, so she's moving into the house with me and transferring to Iwatobi."

"What do you mean she was having a hard time?" Makoto asked as his brow furrowed with concern.

"Dunno," Haruka said as he stepped towards the door to leave. "I didn't think it was my business, so I didn't ask."

"Wait!" Makoto called as he grabbed his friend's wrist. "Wait for me. I'm coming too!"

"What?" Nagisa finally jumped in. "Mako! You're leaving too? What about practice?"

Makoto smiled brightly at the slightly younger boy. "If she's moving to town, Kagome probably has a lot of luggage with her. They'll need help," he reasoned. "Plus I really want to see Kagome again."

Rei noticed that Makoto knew the girl in question but Nagisa seemed clueless. "You've known Haruka and Makoto longer than I have, Nagisa. Do you not also know this girl?" He questioned.

Nagisa looked to Haruka who was leaning against the wall watching the locker room's clock. Turning back to Rei, he shrugged and shook his head with wide eyes. "Beats me. I'm in the dark here."

Makoto laughed as he tossed his things into his bag and looked towards his two younger teammates. "You've met her before, Nagisa," he informed. "It was a long time ago though. We were all still in elementary school, and it was before Rin. Just think back. Kagome came to the swim club a few times with us. She's the same age as me and Haru." When he saw that none of what he was saying was clicking, Makoto added, "Just think about it and you'll remember her. She looks like a girl version of Haru!"

Nagisa turned to study Haruka intently. He thought about what the second-year boy looked like when they were kids and added long hair. It only took a few seconds for the memories to start clicking into place. Tapping his fist on his open palm, Nagisa's eyes finally lit up with recognition. "Oh! I think I remember now! She would only visit sometimes during school holidays."

"Bingo!" Makoto nodded as he walked to stand beside Haruka. "Let's go!" He said as he patted his friend's shoulder.

Haruka had just pushed himself off of the wall when Nagisa cried out, "Waaah! You have to wait for me! I wanna come too!" Haruka sighed as he took up his place against the wall once again.

Makoto smiled as Nagisa pulled on his shorts over his damp swimsuit and began throwing his things into a bag. "You coming too, Rei?" Makoto asked the only team member who hadn't seemed to abandon practice yet.

"I'm not sure," Rei hedged. "I don't know Haruka's cousin and there's still practice."

"What practice?" Gou groused from the doorway as she threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Most of the team is ditching anyway!"

"Why don't you both come?" Makoto suggested. "You'll meet her eventually. With all of us there we can give her a big welcome!"

"Is no one going to clear this with me?" An annoyed voice came from behind Gou. Miho glared at the teens as they suddenly looked towards their forgotten advisor, but she couldn't stay angry at the sheepish and apologetic looks that they gave her. Sighing, she waved them off. "Fine, fine," she told them. "I have lesson plans to make anyway. But all of you better be on time for practice tomorrow!"

The team nodded happily. With a little more persuading, Gou and Rei finally gave in and also agreed to come to the train station. Once their things were put away and the gates to the pool were firmly locked, the swim team plus their manager started on their way to the train station.

"Besides what she looks like, I only remember a little bit about Kagome," Nagisa pouted as they walked.

"I'm not all that surprised," Makoto chuckled. "You probably only met her a few times before she stopped visiting."

"Why'd she stop?" The younger blond asked.

"Kagome's dad, my uncle, died," Haruka answered. "He was my mom's brother."

Silence fell over the small group for several minutes as no one was sure of what to say. Finally Gou could no longer take it and rerouted the conversation. "So what's your cousin like?"

Haruka shrugged slightly at first but smiled softly a moment later and answered, "She's nice. You'll like her."

Makoto nodded in agreement. "Haru and Kagome might look alike, but their personalities are like night and day. Kagome is bright and loud and is always smiling! About the only way they're alike is their love of the water," he laughed.

"She swims too?" Rei asked.

Makoto nodded with a hum. "I don't know if she still does, but she used to. Haru and I are actually the ones who taught her how. She's from Tokyo and had never had the chance to learn before she started coming here. I knew for sure she was really related to Haru when she took to it like a fish!"

Haruka rolled his eyes. "You sure have a lot to say about my cousin that you haven't seen in years," he pointed out while giving his friend a knowing look. Makoto had always tried to hide it, but it hadn't escaped his attention when they were kids the way his friend would blush and be just a little more goofy than usual around Kagome.

Blinking several times in shock, Makoto blushed lightly before looking away and scratching his cheek. "Well..." He started. "She was just really nice."

Gou gave Makoto an analyzing look but didn't call him out on anything. Instead, she took pity on their Captain and redirected the focus once again. "You said that she's the same age as you and Haruka?"

Glad for the shift in focus, Makoto smiled at the only girl in their group and nodded. "She's actually a little older. She's older than Haru by a couple of months."

Gou watched Haruka for a moment as she tried to figure out what his cousin might look like. _'Probably tall and thin,'_ she reasoned to herself. _'Black hair. Long or short? Hmmmm...if she's a swimmer, probably short or medium? Blue eyes.'_ She imagined Haruka's cool and aloof eyes on a more feminine face and blushed a little. _'Pretty,'_ she concluded.

As the train station came into sight, everyone except for Haruka got a little nervous. Haruka glanced at the clock as they walked into the station and frowned slightly. "We're late," he said to no one in particular.

The group made their way towards the benches in the waiting area and looked around. It didn't take long for everyone to spy one lone, grumbling girl surrounded by bags and suitcases.

"Kagome!" Haruka called out and waved as he approached his waiting cousin.

The girl who had been facing away from them suddenly sat up straight before whipping around to look over the back of the bench she was sitting on. "Haru!" She called back excitedly. Looking down at her watch, she looked back up at the black-haired teen and glared. "Haruka Nanase, you're late!"

Haruka watched as Kagome aggressively gathered her bags. Thinking back to when they were kids, he knew that he should probably defuse the situation before she actually made it to him. It was time to shift the blame. "I would have been on time, but I got held up by the welcome wagon."

Kagome came to stand in front of him and gave him a flat look before she rolled her eyes and smiled. She dropped her bags and threw her arms around the taller boy. "I'll forgive you this time," she assured him as she tightened her grip. Her smile brightened as she felt him return the hug. She had missed her cousin, and it had been far too long since she'd seen him. Breathing deep, she could smell the chlorine lingering on his skin and in his hair. _'He must have come straight from the pool,'_ she thought with a small giggle. He hadn't changed. "Now who is this welcome wagon you mentioned?" Kagome asked as she pulled away from the hug.

Haruka stepped aside and pointed towards his friends who were standing a little behind him. Kagome smiled and was about to introduce herself when she stopped and stared at one face that seemed particularly familiar. She looked a little closer and it was only when the young man waved a little awkwardly that realization hit her. "Makoto?" She asked a little unsure.

"Hi Kagome," Makoto greeted with a smile. He had been worried for a moment that she either wouldn't recognize or remember him.

Kagome's face lit up a split second before she ran towards him and jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Mako!" She cheered. "You got so tall!"

Makoto chuckled at her energetic greeting as he happily returned the hug and said, "I don't think I say the same."

Pulling back with a playful swat at his arm, Kagome mock-glared as she told him, "Don't tease. We can't all be giants." Her attention was diverted when she felt a light tap on her arm. She turned and saw a hopeful looking young man who was only a few inches taller than she was. _'Blond hair and pink eyes,'_ she thought as her mind supplied the image of a little boy with the same features. "Nagisa!"

Nagisa instantly brightened and hugged the older girl, happy to be remembered. Makoto leaned in close to Haruka and whispered, "How do you think she'd react to knowing that he didn't even remember her at first?" Haruka smirked but otherwise didn't say anything about it.

Picking up several of her bags while Makoto got the rest, Haruka spoke, "Kagome, the two that you don't know are Rei and Gou. We're all part of the school's swim team."

Kagome released Nagisa and stepped towards the two new people. "I'm so sorry for not introducing myself sooner," she apologized with a small bow. "I got caught up in reunions. I'm Kagome Higurashi, Haruka's cousin." Smiling at the two in front of her she looked to the girl first and asked, "Rei, right?"

Rei and Gou both wilted a little at the not-completely-unexpected mix-up. "No," Rei corrected gently. "I'm Rei. She's Gou."

"Kou," Gou threw in.

Eyes wide, Kagome bowed deeply as she quickly stumbled through an apology. "I'm so sorry! I-I shouldn't have assumed!" Straightening, she sighed and continued, "I hope that didn't make a bad impression."

As Rei assured Kagome that it was fine and happened all the time, Gou took in just how off she had been when she envisioned Haruka's cousin. The girl was very petite, even an inch or two shorter than Gou herself. And she was a bit more curvy than she had originally guessed. But she had gotten black hair and blue eyes right! Though, Kagome's hair was much longer than she had expected, hitting about mid-to-lower back on the girl. And her eyes, while the same color as Haruka's, didn't have the same coolness as her cousin's. They were large and expressive.

"So you're also in the swim club?" Kagome asked the two younger teens. She already knew that Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa were swimmers.

Gou snapped out of her thoughts to smile and nod at Kagome's question. "That's right! Rei is a swimmer, and I'm the team manager."

"Haruka and Makoto say that you used to swim as well, Higurashi," Rei stated.

"Oh, please call me by my first name, both of you," Kagome smiled. "If you're on a team with my cousin, I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of each other." When the two lowerclassmen agreed with their thanks, Kagome answered Rei's unasked question. "And that's right, I like to swim too. I was actually on my school's team for a little while back in Tokyo, but I never got to compete."

Nagisa perked up hearing that and quickly chimed in, "Hey Kagome, if you were on your team in Tokyo, why not join our team here?" Turning to look at the team's Captain and Vice-Captain, he asked, "Girls are allowed to be on the teams, right?"

The two second-years looked at each other and shrugged having no idea. "Um, I'm not really sure," Makoto eventually spoke up. "I mean, Gou is part of the team, but she's not a swimmer. And I've never seen girls competing at the tournaments. We'll probably have to check the rulebook." He glanced over at Kagome who was watching him and added, "Besides, we didn't even really ask Kagome if she wants to be on the team."

"I don't see why not!" Kagome chirped. "I really enjoy swimming, and it's where you guys probably spend most of your time anyway. Would I need to try out or anything? I know that I'm transferring mid-term, so I missed sign-ups."

Again, the club members were stumped on the actual procedure. "We don't really know," Nagisa laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "The club had been dissolved until we started it up again earlier this year. We all joined at the beginning just so that we could have the bare minimum of members!"

Gou clapped her hands together before stepping up and taking the lead as the team manager. "Okay!" She announced to catch everyone's attention. "First, let's get Kagome's things to Haruka's house. You probably have a rulebook laying around somewhere, right Haruka?"

"Yeah, probably," Haruka answered as he readjusted one of Kagome's bags on his shoulder.

"Good," Gou nodded seriously. "Second, we get the lunch that we skipped." She smiled a little when she heard Nagisa give a small cheer. "And third," she concluded. "We figure out if girls are allowed on the team. Any objections?" When no one spoke up, Gou smiled and pointed towards the exit. "Then let's go!"

"Yes!" The team yelled in unison with mock salutes.

Kagome watched the group of friends and laughed. Their chemistry together was great, but it made her a little sad at the same time. This was a close group of friends, and she was the outsider in this situation. Reaching up to her chest, Kagome touched the spherical pink jewel that hung around her neck. But wasn't that why she'd come to Iwatobi? She needed a fresh start, and that's what she would get here far away from the well and all of the memories that it contained.

She started slightly when an arm draped itself around her shoulder. "Come on," Haruka told her as he nodded towards the exit. "Let's go home."

"Yeah," Kagome smiled with a small nod.

As everyone left the station, Makoto fell into step on Kagome's other side and looked down at her with a smile. "You should come to the pool with us tomorrow for practice," he suggested. "It's been a long time since we've seen what you can do. If you want to be part of the team, we need to make sure that your technique isn't rusty," he teased.

"Oh, I'll make you eat those words tomorrow!" Kagome answered as she bumped his arm with her shoulder. They may have gotten older, but she still had friends in this town. She just had to get to know them again. "Come on," she said as she grabbed both Haruka and Makoto by the hand and tugged. "The others are going to leave us behind, and I think your manager said something about lunch. After that train ride, I'm starved!"

With that the two boys picked up their pace, not bothering to point out that they were carrying the majority of her luggage.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club and make no money from these writings.

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A Mermaid Among Men

Chapter Two

The beeping of Kagome's alarm echoed through her new bedroom as it pulled her from from a deep sleep. Groggily, Kagome reached out and fumbled with her small alarm clock until she managed to get the beeping to stop. She tossed the covers off of her upper body and kicked them the rest of the way off before her back arched in a satisfying stretch. Once her muscles relaxed again, she sighed and looked out the open window over her bed.

It was late summer and the morning already indicated that it was going to be a hot day. The sun shone brightly, and Kagome smiled. It was a new day in a new city and she was going to make the most of it.

Rolling over, Kagome swung her legs over the edge of her bed. "I'm trying out for the team today," she mumbled as she looked at the many bags that littered the floor and corners of the room. "Now which bag did I put my swimsuits and gear in?" She wondered aloud as she picked a bag and began her search.

During lunch the day before, Nagisa had managed to find Haruka's copy of the rulebook for local high school swim teams. It hadn't said that she _couldn't_ join the swim team. It had just stated that in the absence of a girl's swim team, a girl could compete alongside the boy's team as long as her qualifying times met the competition's minimum requirements. _'I can do it!'_ Kagome thought as she finally found the bag that she'd been searching for.

Pulling out a black suit with hot pink detailing around the seams, Kagome smiled. Resuming a normal life in the modern era hadn't worked out for her at home in Tokyo, but she was determined to make it work in Iwatobi. She rummaged around in the bag some more until she found her matching pink swim cap and goggles. Finally, she pulled out a pair of short black shorts. Kagome glanced around the room for a bag to take to the pool, and her eyes landed on a faded but familiar yellow backpack. She almost reached for it before she thought better of it and grabbed a small duffle bag instead.

Kagome tossed her cap, goggles, and shorts into the bag before she crawled over to her suitcases and flipped them open. She needed to find a change of underwear to take with her so that she wouldn't have to wear a damp swimsuit home. She had a bra draped over her shoulder and was searching for her panties when she heard a light tap on the doorframe of her room.

Makoto had originally come by the Nanase house to make sure that his friend was on schedule to leave in time for practice, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to make sure that Kagome was up and about as well. Her bedroom door was open, so he knocked lightly against the frame before poking his head around the corner. "Kagome? Are you up?" He asked. He laughed a little when he saw her sitting on the floor with her hands shoved into a suitcase full of clothes. "We offered to help you unpack yesterday, you know?"

Kagome's hands immediately came up to smooth down her bed head as she smiled in embarrassment at the tall boy. "I know," she said but stopped dead when her hands grazed the bra that was still hanging over her shoulder. She quickly yanked it from its perch and tried to hide it behind her back, but one of the hooks caught a small tangle in her hair and caused her to yelp.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked as he set his bag down and took a step into the room.

"I-I'm fine!" Kagome responded trying to her best not to sound mortified. She quickly turned her back to Makoto and tried to get her bra untangled from her hair. "Give me just a second!"

"Can I help with something?" Makoto offered politely as he stepped forward so that he was standing over where Kagome sat and could look down at what she seemed to be having trouble with.

Time seemed to freeze for both Kagome and Makoto in that moment. Kagome tilted her head up to look at Makoto and, utterly embarrassed, watched everything play across his face.

Makoto looked down at Kagome with a genuine want to help. He became a little distracted though when her head tilted back and she blinked up at him with large blue eyes. He could tell that she had just rolled out of bed by her slightly disheveled hair and rumpled shorts and tank top. He couldn't help but think that she was adorable! But when his gaze traveled to what her hands were working on, his smile faltered a little and a blush rose to his cheeks at seeing the blue and white polka-dot bra. He was just about to apologize and turn around when a voice called out to them.

"What are you two doing?" Haruka asked as he toweled off his hair from his bath. His friend and his cousin turned to look at him, both of them wide-eyed and blushing. He narrowed his eyes slightly and opened his mouth to ask them his question again but ultimately decided against it. He merely closed his eyes, shook his head, and decided to go make his breakfast.

"I think I'll go with Haru," Makoto said quietly as he beat a hasty retreat for the door, grabbing his bag along the way.

As Makoto left the room and shut the door behind him, Kagome's fumbling fingers finally worked the small hook free from her hair. Falling backwards to stare up at the ceiling, Kagome pressed her hands to her face and prayed, "_Please_ don't let this be an omen for the rest of the day."

Downstairs, Makoto dropped his swim bag next to Haruka's low table and took a seat. He groaned as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the smooth wood. There was a small noise to his left, and when he turned his head he saw a cup of tea sitting next to his head. Makoto sat up and smiled as he said, "Thanks Haru." With a quick sniff he could already smell the mackerel cooking.

"You never act this weird around other girls," Haruka observed while giving his friend a look.

Makoto watched Haruka walk back into the kitchen and noticed that he was actually wearing clothes under his apron instead of just his jammers. "I know," he said with a smile as he pushed a hand through his hair. Picking up the tea in front of him, he took a sip before continuing, "I don't mean to. It's like I can't stop it."

Haruka hummed his agreement from the kitchen. This wasn't anything new to him. Even when they were kids, the natural ease that Makoto usually had about him got thrown off around Kagome. "Try treating her like anyone else on the team," Harka suggested.

Sighing, Makoto nodded at his friend. "I'll try," he said.

Both boys quieted when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later, Kagome stepped into the room and dropped her bag on the floor next to her seat at the table. She looked much more put together with her hair brushed and in a fresh set of clothes.

Kagome trotted into the kitchen and asked, "So what are you making for breakfast?"

"Mackerel and toast," Haruka answered her simply.

Wrinkling her nose a little, Kagome patted her cousin on the back. "I think I'll just stick with toast and tea. It's a little too early for a fish as strong as mackerel," she said. She laughed a little when Haruka looked at her like she was crazy from the corner of his eye. "Oh, do you have honey? Toast and honey sounds perfect!"

"That cabinet," Haruka pointed out without taking his eyes off of his grilling fish.

"Thanks!" Kagome chirped as she turned to go about making her own breakfast. She poured herself a cup of the tea that had already been made, grabbed the small squeeze bottle of honey, and piled three slices of toast onto a napkin. Balancing everything, she made her way back to the low table where Makoto sat and plopped down on the thin cushion beside her bag.

"You're much more of a morning person than when we were kids," Makoto pointed out with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Kagome nodded in agreement. She was just as happy as he was to never again mention the fact that he had caught her with her underwear tangled in her hair. "Want some toast?" She offered.

"No thank you," Makoto declined. "I had breakfast with my family this morning before I left."

"Oh, it's been forever since I saw your mom and dad," Kagome mused as she drizzled honey on one piece of toast before taking a bite. "How are they?"

"They're good," Makoto smiled. "I don't know if Haru told you, but I also have two younger siblings now; a brother and a sister."

"Awww!" Kagome cooed. "How long after I left did that happen?"

"Not long, actually," Makoto thought back. "Probably within a year of your last visit."

"Well I can't wait to meet them! Maybe they'll help me miss my little brother less," Kagome smiled as she took another bite of her toast. She noticed Makoto watching her and blushed a little. "Mama would kill me if she saw me eating this without a plate," she told him. "I just don't see the point in getting a dish dirty if I don't have to, you know?"

Haruka came to join them at the table with his own breakfast resting on a napkin. Makoto laughed at the two cousins and said, "Well I'm sure Haru appreciates it since he's the one who does the dishes." Haruka didn't respond, but the other two at the table could tell that Makoto's statement was true. "Okay you two," Makoto told them as he glanced at his watch. "Enough talk. I came to make sure you left in time for practice and we only have a few minutes left. Eat up so we can head out."

Haruka rolled his eyes and ate at his own pace while Kagome folded her piece of toast in half and took a large bite.

A little later, after breakfast had been cleaned up, the trio left the Nanase house and started their walk towards the pool. "It's going to be a beautiful day!" Kagome said as she stretched her arms up above her head.

Makoto hummed with a nod in agreement. "The weather's been good lately. It'll start getting cold before too long though."

"That's disappointing," Kagome pouted. "You guys said that your pool is outdoors, right? That means I won't get to swim with you much before the weather gets too cold."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Makoto told her. "We have a pretty good relationship with Samezuka's swim team. We have joint practices together sometimes, and they have an indoor pool. We won't be able to swim as much, but we'll still have some practices until next spring."

"Isn't Samezuka that all-boys academy?" Kagome questioned.

"Yeah," Haruka answered as they rounded a corner. "It's where Rin goes to school."

"Rin?" Kagome asked. The image of a little girl with a side-ponytail and a cheerful smile came to mind, but she shook it away. "I heard that name a few times yesterday during lunch with you guys. So who's Rin?"

"He was on our relay team when we were kids," Makoto supplied. "He went to Australia for a few years, but now he goes to Samezuka. I guess you could call him and Haru swimming rivals."

Kagome looked to her cousin and asked, "You have a rival? He must be good."

"He's okay," Haruka answered with a small smile.

The trio continued to chat about various topics all the way to the pool. By the time they arrived, everyone else was already there. "There you are!" Gou called out as she spotted them. "What kind of example is it setting when our Captain and Vice-Captain are the last ones to get here?" She chastised.

"Sorry," Makoto apologized with a soft smile. "I decided to swing by Haru's to make sure that he was on time, but we both ended up being late."

"Ah," Miho said ignoring her two tardy students and focusing on the young lady that she'd yet to meet. "You must be Haruka's cousin. The rest of the team has been telling me about you. I'm Miho Amakata, the club advisor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome said with a respectful bow. "I'm Kagome Higurashi."

Miho smiled at the polite girl. "Nagisa said that you want to try out for the team today?"

"Yes ma'am!" Kagome chirped as she adjusted her swim bag a little on her shoulder. "The rest of the team checked the rules yesterday and I'm apparently allowed to join since this school doesn't otherwise have a girls team."

"Well that's fine with me then," Miho approved as she took a seat on her sun chair. "Go get changed, you three. We'll start practice soon."

Kagome followed Haruka and Mikoto into the locker room and the three stopped as they realized something. Deciding to voice what she knew the other two were thinking, she said, "It's not exactly co-ed friendly, is it?"

"Uhh…" Makoto intoned as he tried to think of something to say.

"Well, it's not a big deal right now," Kagome told them with a shrug as she stepped into the room. "I wore my suit under my clothes, so I don't need to actually change," she explained. "If you can just show me where I can put my stuff, I'll get out of your way."

"What about after practice?" Makoto asked surprised at Kagome's lax attitude about the situation.

"I can either wait until all of the guys are done changing or I can change in the showers after you guys leave," she smiled and laughed a little at Makoto's expression. "It's really not a big deal to me, Mako. Relax! Now where can I put my stuff?"

Makoto pointed out a free cubby along the wall before he started pulling off his shirt. Though they had all worn their suits to practice, he was going to have to figure out a solution to their little problem soon. He was Captain after all. It was his job!

"You guys go on ahead," Kagome told the two boys. "I'll be right out." With that, Makoto and Haruka watched Kagome head into the back room where the showers were and heard the water turn on. Looking to each other, both shrugged their shoulders having no idea what she was doing and decided to head outside.

Once she got outside, Kagome started her warm-up stretches with the rest of the guys. "Good morning!" She greeted the two boys that she hadn't arrived with.

"Kagome!" Nagisa called as he greeted the shorter girl with a hug. He pulled back after a moment and looked at her funny. "Why are you already wet?"

"It's for my hair," Kagome laughed as she pulled a hair elastic off of her wrist and held it between her teeth. She reached back and began to twist her wet hair into a bun as she spoke around the elastic, "I have long hair, so I like to take care of it. Chlorine isn't good for hair, and since my cap doesn't keep it completely dry, I wet it before I go swimming." She took the elastic out of her mouth to tie around her bun before continuing, "If I saturate my hair with clean water before getting in the pool, my hair isn't able to absorb as much chlorine and doesn't get as damaged."

"That's a good idea," Rei mused as he reached up to touch his own hair. He had noticed that the ends had gotten a little dry since he joined the team. Perhaps he would also start wetting his hair before practice.

"So," Kagome started as everyone was finishing up their stretches. "How are we going to do the tryout?"

"Well," Makoko thought for a moment. "We should probably see what your best strength is. We each have our own strokes that we're best at, and we have the four basics covered between us. What strokes do you know?"

"I can _do_ all of the major four, but I'm best at front crawl," Kagome told them.

"No surprise there," Nagisa piped in with a glance at their Vice-Captain.

"Why not just let her race each of us using our own strokes?" Haruka suggested.

Makoto stared at Haruka for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think that would be fair," he said. "We've been swimming all summer, and Kagome's a…" He trailed off at the end of his sentence and glanced at Kagome. He knew that he'd misspoken by the annoyed look on her face.

"A _what_, Makoto?" Kagome asked peevishly. "A _girl_? Yeah, so what? I was swimming in Tokyo before I came here, you know. It's not like I'm so far behind all of you. And, in case you've forgotten, I'm going to need to know where I stand swimming against guys if I'm going to compete against them." She stared him down with her hands on her hips before she straightened her back a little more and lifted her chin. "I think we should go with Haruka's idea," she finally stated as she began to put on her swimming cap. "You don't mind if I do a few practice laps for each stroke beforehand, do you?" When Makoto quickly shook his head wordlessly, Kagome nodded with a quick "Thank you" and made her way to the starting block at the far end of the pool.

The four boys stared after her in silence but were distracted by a pair of giggles. Looking over to their advisor and manager, they saw the two trying to hide their laughter and failing. "I like her," Miho finally said with a smile. "You boys could use some of her sass around here."

"You should probably do some warm-up laps too," Gou suggested.

That was all it took for Haruka and he was in the water a second later. The other three decided to watch Kagome's first dive before the started their laps. She stood on the starting block and pulled on her black shorts before adjusting her goggles over her eyes. Just as she dove in, Rei spoke up, "Why is she wearing those shorts while she's swimming?"

"Hmm?" Makoto questioned confused for a moment before realization dawned on him. "Oh! You've probably never seen them used before. It looked like she was wearing drag shorts."

"Drag shorts?" Rei asked. Makoto was right, he'd never seen them used and wasn't sure of their purpose.

"Yeah!" Nagisa spoke up. "Some people like to practice and train with drag shorts on. They increase drag and water resistance when you swim. It's sort of like running with weights. When you take them off to actually compete, you feel lighter and the movements come easier. It helps your body and your mind."

"I can see how it trains the body, but how does it train the mind?" Rei asked curiously. If it was something that he could incorporate into his own training, he wanted to understand it completely.

"Any athlete is going to perform better if they _feel_ better about their performance," Makoto explained. "If you practice with a lot of resistance and can feel good about your strokes like that, imagine how light and free you would feel without that resistance. It can give swimmers a big boost in their confidence while competing."

Rei nodded in understanding as the three boys turned their attention back to Kagome's laps. She had started with the butterfly stroke but as she reached the starting block again, she pressed her hands to the wall and rolled backwards into a backstroke. "Her transition is a little rough, but she seems to be pretty good at an individual medley," Makoto observed. "That's something we could use on the team."

"Come on, Mako," Nagisa said as he tugged on the taller boy's arm. "Let's do our laps and we can watch Kagome later when she's racing us." Makoto followed his other teammates and got in the pool to open up his stroke and prepare for his upcoming race against Kagome.

The boys did a few laps each with a few different strokes and waited for Kagome to signal that she was ready. They all perked up when saw her finally get out of the pool and grab a towel to dry her face. They were just hefting themselves out of the water when they overheard Gou and Kagome talking.

"I wanted to ask you about your suit, Kagome," Gou said as she looked over the slightly older but shorter girl.

"What about it?" Kagome asked with a smile as her breathing began to even out from doing her laps.

"I know that most girls wear one pieces for competing, but they're usually open-backed. Why did you choose a suit with a closed back?" Gou asked.

"I had a few reasons for wanting this suit," Kagome explained. "It took forever to find one like this!" She said as she touched the top of the zipper that all the way up to her neck. She knew that the suit she wore was odd, but she felt the most comfortable in it. For the most part it fit like a normal one piece swimsuit. It differed in the closed back and high neckline. The suit came all the way up to the base of her neck. "I like the high neckline because it reduces drag. With a neckline this high, the water can't be pulled between my breasts while I'm swimming, so it makes me more streamline. When I finally found this suit I went ahead and bought a lot of them," she laughed as she finished explaining.

"That's so neat!" Gou said as she circled Kagome to get another look at her suit. "I don't swim competitively, so I didn't know about that kind of stuff."

Kagome smiled at the other girl, but her eyes took on a competitive spark when she spotted the boys getting out of the pool. "Are you guys ready?" She called out to them.

"Whenever you are," Makoto told her with a smile.

"Great!" She said as she made her way to stand in front of them. "So who's going first?"

"I will," Makoto raised a hand to volunteer.

As they made their way to their starting blocks, Kagome took off her drag shorts and dropped them beside the block. "One hundred meters?" She asked looking over to the team Captain.

"Sure," Makoto nodded as he hopped into the water and placed one hand on the starting block's bar.

Kagome slipped into the water and got into position to kick off from the wall once given the signal. She looked over to see Makoto also taking up his position. "Mako," she said to catch his attention.

"Yeah?" He asked as he reached up to pull his goggles down.

"You better not go easy on my because I'm a girl. I want you to race me with everything you've got," she told him with a serious look.

Makoto blinked at her a couple of times through his tinted goggles before he smiled and nodded. "You got it."

The two swimmers waited for Gou to give the start signal before launching off from the wall and diving backwards into the water. The rest of the team watched eagerly from the sidelines.

Rei looked at Nagisa when he heard the blond hum and saw that the shorter boy was frowning. "What's wrong, Nagisa?"

"The race," Nagisa said as they watched Makoto start the second leg of the race. "Kagome is smaller, so she doesn't have as much weight to pull through the water. But Mako has more muscle in his legs and was able to get a stronger kick. Kagome's doing well, but she just can't catch up after the lead that Mako's kick gave him." He paused to watch the time difference between Makoto and Kagome starting the last leg. "She's keeping up, at least. The distance between them isn't growing. She might be more of a match for me and you, but I don't think she can compete with Mako and Haru."

"I see," Rei said as he watched Makoto finish several seconds ahead of Kagome.

As she touched the wall, Kagome was already well aware that she'd lost. She floated on her back for a moment before righting herself and removing her goggles. Turning to face Makoto, Kagome extended her right hand. "Good race, Mako," she said with a smile despite being disappointed.

Makoto smiled as he shook Kagome's hand. "You too. And just so you know, I really gave it my best."

Kagome's smile brightened as she released Makoto's hand and made her way to the edge of the pool. "I'm okay with losing as long as it was a fair loss," she told him. Pulling herself up and out of the water, she looked to the rest of the team. "So who's next?"

"Don't you want to rest for a couple of minutes, Kagome?" Gou questioned.

Shaking her head and tucking away a few stray locks of hair, Kagome said, "No, I feel fine and ready to go! So, come on, who's next?"

The next three races against Nagisa, Rei, and Haruka went much the same as her race against Makato. She lost each race, though she had come much closer to beating Rei than any of the others. It was also agreed that her best stroke was indeed the front crawl. But it didn't change the fact that she just couldn't compete with the speed that the guys' well built muscles gave them.

Kagome tried to hide her disappointment and frustration as she yanked off her swim cap and sat on a nearby bench. The guys all wanted to say something to cheer her up, but they weren't sure what they could say that wouldn't sound patronizing. "I can't believe I lost every race," Kagome mumbled as she leaned back and tilted her head up to look at the blue sky. Her chest rose and sank with deep breaths as she caught her breath from back to back races.

Makoto was trying to think of something to say, but his mind was drawing a blank. Kagome couldn't compete with their times, and they weren't even the best during the last competitive season. There was no way she was going to be able to compete and hold her own against guys from some of the other schools in the prefecture. She might be able to do alright in the individual medley, but even then he wasn't so sure. It was while he was watching her sitting on the bench that something occurred to him. "Kagome," he started. "Did you take breaks between the races?"

"Huh?" Kagome asked none-too-eloquently as she lifted her head to look at the group of boys again. "No, why?"

"Because you're only just breathing heavy after racing all four of us, one hundred meters each," Haruka explained after catching on to what his friend was trying to say.

Nagisa's earlier melancholy left him as he jumped in with what the older boys were saying. "You might not be able to match our speeds, but you can probably out swim us at longer distances!"

"You think so?" Kagome asked as she began to perk up.

"It's possible," Makoto agreed happily. "Why don't you catch your breath and we can try again. The five of us can race at the same time with all of us doing the crawl, and we'll see how you do against us then."

"A-all of us?" Rei questioned. He was getting better at other strokes, but he still wasn't good enough at the crawl to think about racing with the stroke.

Makoto laughed awkwardly as he remembered the younger boy's swimming troubles. "Maybe not all of us," he said. "I guess it'll just be me, Haru, and Nagisa against Kagome."

"What distance?" Haruka asked.

Thinking for a moment, Makoto reasoned, "Well we all usually take the one hundred and two hundred meter events at competitions, so why don't we go one further and do four hundred meters?"

Nagisa did some quick math on his fingers before stating, "That's sixteen laps since our pool is only twenty-five meters. I think I might sit this out too." When he saw that Makoto was going to argue with him, he continued, "Sixteen laps can be a lot to keep up with when you're focused on a race! If the three of you race, me, Rei, and Gou can count your laps for you and let you know when you're on your last one by calling out your name!"

Makoto faltered a little but considered Nagisa's offer. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay, that sounds fine. As long as Kagome is fine with just racing against me and Haru."

Kagome looked up at the taller boys standing around her before her eyes went from Makoto to Haruka and back to Makoto. She sighed as she stood and stretched her back. She really didn't want another loss in one day. _'No!'_ She thought as she clenched one fist. _'I definitely won't win with that attitude. I can and will do this!'_ With a deep breath, Kagome looked up at Makoto and nodded. "Let's go," she said as she started putting her swim cap back on.

"Already?" Makoto asked. "It hasn't been that long since your last race. Are you sure you don't want to wait a few more minutes?"

Looking over to Haruka, Kagome asked, "We were both the last ones to race. Are you ready to go again, Haru?" When Haruka nodded and pulled his cap back on, Kagome looked back to Makoto and smile. "Yeah, I'm ready," she said.

"Okay then," Makoto said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Gou, Rei, you're going help count laps with Nagisa, right?" When the two nodded, he said, "Okay then. Nagisa can count for me, Gou can count for Kagome, and Rei can count for Haru. Don't forget to yell our names loud enough for us to hear when we start on our last leg." Pulling on his own cap, Makoto made his way over to the starting block.

Makoto, Kagome, and Haruka lined up on starting blocks two, three, and four respectively. They all pulled their goggles into place and got ready to dive into the water. They waited and listened for Gou to give the signal to start. Then, on her word, they lept into the water. Haruka took the lead followed by Makoto and then Kagome, but Kagome was able to catch up to Makoto towards the end of the leg. The two boys pulled ahead of her again on the turn, but she always managed to catch up a little. It wasn't until several turns in that it became obvious that the boys were beginning to tire and slow while Kagome was able to keep going strong. She eventually managed to pass Haruka and the distance between her and the other two only continued to grow with each turn. By the time things were over, Kagome had managed to secure her first victory of the day and even beat Haruka by several seconds.

All three stood in the water panting at the end of the race, but Kagome's smile was radiant as she tugged her goggles and cap off with a cheer. "I did it!"

Nagisa and Gou cheered from the edge of the pool while the other team members smiled at the sight. Officially tired, Kagome pulled her hair from the bun that was beginning to give her a headache and flopped back into the water to float on her back.

"Well," Makoto said as he pulled himself out of the pool and sat on the edge. "That was good enough for me. It looks like we have someone to compete in the long distance freestyles and individual medleys now."

Kagome paddled her way up to the edge of the pool and righted herself before slicking her wet bangs back out of her face. "Thanks everyone," she said with a sincere smile. "I won't let you down!"

Makoto and Haruka smiled as Nagisa jumped into the pool and tackled Kagome while Gou got onto them from the sidelines. They _were_ supposed to be practicing after all.


End file.
